A number of alternative, general purpose attachment schemes and hardware designs have been developed for mounting MEDs within vehicles. These approaches have attempted to provide universal, fit-any-vehicle, MED mount designs. Suction cup installations have been used for securing MED docking holders to windshield, dashboard, or other mounting surfaces. This approach can provide some limited positioning flexibility but mounting surfaces need to be flat and smooth and, invariably, suction integrity degrades over time and the MED mount can fall from its mount installation surface. Suction based mounts positioned on the vehicle's smooth surface windshield can be reasonably durable but this MED placement, however, can seriously interfere with driver visibility in a small car like the classic Porsche 911, (Porsche® is a registered trademark of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.). Adhesives and/or invasive fasteners have been used to secure MED mounting, but these approaches can irreversibly mar/damage vehicle mounting surfaces (e.g. the dashboard covering) with visible, conspicuous residues or holes. Velcro attachment of MEDs requires surface marring adhesive and installations can look, aesthetically, rather unfinished and crude. Clip based mounts are limited by available attachment points and often, what's workable ends up positioning the MED in an awkward location. Weighted, conformable bases have been used to secure MED mounting by friction to the top of a vehicle's dashboard but, this approach requires a large bulky base that can also seriously impede driver vision in a small car like the classic 911 Porsche. Under dashboard brackets have been tried in the classic Porsche 911 but, these installations generally place the MED too low in the cabin for acceptable device visibility and/or interactive convenience and furthermore, this positioning can compromise operating performance of the MED e.g. degraded GPS navigation capability or deficient phone functionality due to shielded signal strength. Vehicle-specific MED mounting brackets have been designed to attach onto the center dashboard vent in the classic Porsche 911, but this approach can impair cabin ventilation. Bracket insertion between the perimeter of this vent and the dashboard surface can result in cracking the plastic vent grille.
The Porsche 911 is an iconic example of excellence in automotive design. The basic shape and styling contours of today' latest version of the 911, the 2012 991, make it instantly recognizable as a worthy descendant of Ferry Porsche's original 1963 design (produced in 1964, commercialized in 1965). The nearly fifty year durability of the vehicle's aesthetics and underlying engineering framework are testimony to the market potency of good design, performance, and functionality.
While basic body form and power train layout have lasted throughout Porsche 911 production life, major advances and refinements were implemented with every new model along the way. Across the development history of the Porsche 911, a major styling and engineering demarcation took place in 1999 with the commercialization of the 996 model, the first generation water cooled engine powered Porsche 911. From 1965 through 1998, the air cooled, flat six engine defined the original or now “classic” phase of the vehicle.
The interior design of the classic 911 remained substantially unchanged for thirty three years finally giving way to major revision with the introduction of the 996 model.
Drivers of the earliest 911s would feel completely at home in the “end-of-era,” air cooled 993s of the late 1990s. Some ergonomic modifications of certain switch locations were implemented over the years and improved cabin ventilation was achieved with added air grilles to the dashboard structure, but driver-interaction with the readouts and controls of the car was grounded in preserved familiarity.
While dashboard form and instrument layout were kept intact throughout the evolutionary development of the air cooled 911, both active and passive functionality at the driver/car interface advanced, continuously, with new improved electronics, sensor readouts, and safety features such as integrated airbag systems. The simplicity of the classic Porsche 911 dashboard design carried some ergonomic quirks for new drivers with certain controls better managed by feel than sight. Nonetheless, a little drive-time tended to quickly erase any initial awkwardness in operating the vehicle.
When development of the air cooled cars was discontinued with the transition from the 993 to the water cooled 996, major engineering changes were accompanied by some major styling changes, especially to the interior. The familiar, classic 911 dashboard was abandoned. A new overlapping instrument cluster layout was implemented and the center console now penetrated up into the dashboard structure and was designed to accommodate new electronics. As the 911 continued to evolve, new electronic capability was offered such as a satellite navigation system, mobile phone controls, and digital music functionality. GPS capability, phone integration, and iPod/mp3 player (iPod® is a trademark of, a copyright of, and made by Apple, Inc.) connectivity made the new 911 interior seem luxurious and modern in comparison to the relatively spare, austere, and dated cabin of the classic air cooled 911s.
This new dashboard configuration incited controversy among some hardcore Porsche enthusiasts who felt purity of design and distinctiveness had been shamefully sacrificed and that the 911 interior now had a look and feel common to a luxury sedan rather than a high performance sports car. Nonetheless, its modern communication management conveniences had major appeal to “daily-driver” and “adventure-road-trip” owners and, for some, made the “raw” classic 911 seem like a weekend-only car.